Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to recognize Dr. Cynthia D. Starr and her contributions to the medical field and the New Jersey community. On October 29, 2011, Dr. Starr will be honored by Warren Hospital at their 30th annual Foundation Gala for her forty years of dedicated service to her community in the field of hematology and oncology.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Dr. Starr graduated from the Chicago School of Medicine prior to an internship, residency, and fellowship at Montefiore Hospital in Bronx, New York where she mastered internal medicine, hematology, and oncology. Dr. Starr then continued her career in private practice and as an active member on the Warren Hospital staff in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, where she has specialized in hematology and oncology for the past four decades. Additionally, Dr. Starr is a consulting staff member to Easton Hospital in Easton, Pennsylvania and a founding member of the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice.

During her time at Warren Hospital, Dr. Starr has served as Chairperson of the Warren Hospital Tumor Board and Chairperson of the Warren Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. She continues to serve as Chairperson of the Warren Hospital Cancer Committee and as a member of the Warren Hospital Transfusion Committee. Her recognition on October 29th will be the latest of several honors Dr. Starr has been bestowed throughout her career. She has been elected President of Warren Hospital Medical Staff, elected by colleagues and patients as Warren County Home Care Physician of the Year, and she is a recipient of the First Clinical Instructor of the Year Award for the Warren Hospital Residency Program. In 2001, Warren Hospital opened its new Cynthia D. Starr Breast Care Center in honor of her service to the hospital's field of oncology.

It is with the highest esteem that I congratulate Dr. Cynthia Starr on her upcoming honor, as well as her accomplished career. Dr. Starr is a prime example of how one individual's dedication and service can positively impact an entire community.

Madam Speaker, Palestinian Authority President Abbas has announced that this Friday he will formally seek statehood recognition at the United Nations.

While there are obstacles to achieving a lasting and peaceful two- state solution, the PA's attempt to seek recognition at the UN demonstrates that they are not truly interested in achieving peace.

Such a unilateral approach, will not lead to peace. This action violates the letter and spirit of the Oslo accords and deals a significant blow to future negotiations.

Recognizing a Palestinian state would also give legitimacy to Hamas given that the terrorist group currently is in control of the Gaza Strip--an area the PA claims for its state.

By granting recognition of a state, the international community will reward Hamas for its terrorist actions, rather than condemn them.

Furthermore, this reckless action at the UN could lead to widespread violence on the ground.

The only way to achieve a two-state solution is through direct negotiations leading to a peace treaty fully accepted by both governments and by both peoples.

A vote on a unilateral UN resolution will likely set prospects for peace in the region back years.

The United States needs to stand strong with Israel, and I am pleased that President Obama has called the Palestinian efforts at the UN a ``mistake'' and has stated that the United States will veto this resolution should it be brought before the Security Council.

We need a unified voice from the United States and our allies showing that this action is not the way to achieve a peace and that if such action is taken, there will be consequences.

Madam Speaker, 2 weeks ago, Hurricane Irene ravaged the east coast, including the State of New Jersey. Earlier this year, tornados leveled parts of the Midwest, and now Texas is experiencing one of the worst wildfires in its history. Furthermore, on the heels of Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee hit New Jersey, causing more damage and forcing more people from their homes. Homes have been destroyed, businesses are suffering, and many areas are still covered in water.

While many major disaster declarations have been made, the availability of Federal assistance remains uncertain. Today, I rise to ask my colleagues to work in a bipartisan manner to immediately pass emergency disaster relief legislation to support recovery efforts. Communities across the country have witnessed unthinkable destruction and endured great loss, and it is the Federal Government's responsibility to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund to ensure that these communities receive help in their time of need.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting supplemental disaster relief. We must come together now to provide disaster assistance to these devastated areas.

Mr. Speaker, we have less than 1 week to prevent our Nation from defaulting on its loans. Rather than focusing on a compromise, the majority has come up with yet another irresponsible plan to raise the debt ceiling and slash funding from programs that matter most to seniors and the middle class.

First, their budget tried to end Medicare and gut Medicaid, all the while protecting tax breaks for Big Oil and corporations that send jobs overseas. Then it was the so-called Cut, Cap, and Balance to achieve the same objectives.

Now the Speaker has put forward another plan that seeks the same goals so they can impose cuts on Medicare and Medicaid as well as set their sights on Social Security. This plan will keep the crisis going with a temporary increase in the debt ceiling, leaving the cloud of uncertainty over our economy.

We need to instead focus on the compromise plan that Majority Leader Reid has presented to extend the debt ceiling through 2012 to provide certainty to the markets without hurting the economic recovery, as well as protect Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security from cuts.

Mr. Speaker, we must accept the compromise plan to raise the debt ceiling in order to prevent another recession and save jobs in America.

Mr. Speaker, thirty-seven years ago, on July 20, 1974, nearly 200,000 Greek Cypriots fell victim to a Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus. They were forcibly evicted from their homes and became refugees in their own country. Today, Turkey continues to occupy more than one-third of Cyprus with more than 43,000 Turkish troops, making the occupied area of Cyprus one of the most militarized areas in the world. In addition, mass violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Cypriot people continue, as well as forcible ethnic segregation and division of the Greek Cypriot and Turks Cypriot communities.

During the invasion, Greek Cypriots were expelled from their homes, resulting in the usurpation and illegal exploitation of the property belonging to the Greek Cypriot refugees. Massive colonization of the occupied areas of Cyprus has also occurred over the past several decades through the illegal placement of more than 160,000 Turkish mainland settlers, who now outnumber the indigenous Turkish Cypriots by almost two to one. Furthermore, cultural destruction and religious desecration continues in northern Cyprus, where many churches, chapels, monasteries, and numerous archaeological sites have been looted, vandalized, or destroyed.

I had the opportunity to visit Cyprus several years ago and observe first-hand the devastation that the occupation has had on the island for 37 years. Upon my return, it has been a goal of mine to work with my colleagues in Congress to promote a reunified and prosperous Cyprus where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots can live together in peace, security and stability and clear of foreign aggression. On July 20th we must remember our Cypriot friends and commit to work with them to reunify the island.

Mr. Speaker, we are now in week number 27 of the Republican no-jobs agenda.

It is apparent that after last week's disappointing jobs report, that job growth should be our number one priority. But my colleagues across the aisle seem to have not received this message.

Since January 1, not a single bill focused on job creation has come to the floor. Instead the majority has chosen to have focus on legislation that would roll back energy efficiency standards, clean water protections, and health care improvements.

Now, it seems the majority is threatening to hold the economy hostage. They are refusing to raise the debt ceiling unless we continue providing tax breaks for Big Oil and companies that ship jobs overseas. Instead of focusing on an agenda that balances the budget on the backs of America's middle class and seniors, this Congress needs to focus on a plan that will put America back to work.

My Democratic colleagues and I launched an ambitious Make It in America agenda that will rebuild our manufacturing base, create jobs, and position us for long-term economic competition. Mr. Speaker, the millions of unemployed Americans need us to work together to come up with a viable solution to job growth and rebuild our economy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the privatization of Amtrak, which would threaten reliable, dependable, and accessible passenger rail service throughout the United States. I travel home every weekend on Amtrak to my district in New Jersey, and its service is an essential part of our region's economic vitality.

Under the plan to privatize Amtrak, the essential service they provide to millions of passengers could be lost, and nearly 20,000 Amtrak jobs could be eliminated. State-owned infrastructure that Amtrak currently maintains could be turned over to the already deficit- burdened States to maintain. It is likely that station stops will be cut and that commuter rail services will bear increased costs. Additionally, freight railroads that currently use Amtrak-supported lines may face logistical problems if Amtrak becomes privatized.

Under the proposal to privatize Amtrak, many important labor provisions will be eliminated. Future railroad employees will be exempt from disability, pension, retirement, and unemployment benefits. By removing future employees from these benefit systems, current and retired employees will be negatively affected, and railroads will face increased taxes to maintain the solvency of these systems.

I urge my colleagues to oppose the privatization of Amtrak.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern for the escalating persecution of the Christian community in Egypt.

We were all inspired by the call for freedom and democracy in Egypt this winter, but for some in Egypt, the transition has led to more threats, more fear, and more violence. While Mubarak is gone, extremist groups in Egypt are using the newly opened political space to escalate their war against Christians. Churches are burning and people are being murdered in the streets over their religious beliefs. If these groups get their way, the opportunity for a democratic and free Egypt would be lost.

As the United States partners with Egyptian communities to support democracy in this time of transition, it is imperative that human rights violations are not pushed aside. The United States must demand that any Egyptian Government protect the rights and lives of its citizens before any U.S. dollars are given to that government.

The respect of human rights, including religious freedoms, is imperative for the future and stability of Egypt and the region.

Madam Chair, I rise today to express my deep concern regarding the drastic cuts being made to the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in the Agriculture Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2012. While I understand the need to balance the budget, I cannot support cuts made to WIC, which has proven to be an effective tool in improving the health of our Nation's children.

Over nine million low and moderate income women, infants, and children rely on WIC to provide them with quality nutrition education services and access to maternal, prenatal, and pediatric health-care services. WIC is a premier public health nutrition program and makes sure that our Nation's children begin their life as healthy as possible. During early childhood, infants with poor nutrition are susceptible to increased chances of anemia and negatively impact a child's ability to learn. WIC plays a vital role in ensuring that WIC infants are in better health than eligible infants not participating in

Mr. Speaker, the more we learn about the true impact of the majority's plan to end Medicare and gut the Medicaid program, the more there is to dislike.

For starters, under their plan, seniors will pay $6,000 more in annual out-of-pocket costs for health care services. Current seniors will see higher costs on prescription drugs as a result of reopening the donut hole, as well as a spike in the price of preventative care because free annual wellness visits will be eliminated.

Individuals who are 54 years of age and younger, including 540,000 people in my district, will be denied access to Medicare's guaranteed benefits.

Additionally, the majority's budget slashes Medicaid funding by $800 billion over 10 years and converts the program into block grants. Nearly 60 million Americans that rely on Medicaid for their health coverage will be in jeopardy of losing their health care.

From my district in particular, their plan will impair the health care of 21,000 dual eligible seniors who rely on Medicaid to supplement their Medicare coverage, and 82,000 children who receive coverage under Medicaid.

Mr. Speaker, given the current economic climate, now is not the time to be cutting valuable services to our most vulnerable citizens.

Mr. Speaker, last night we saw once again a great display of political theater. My friends across the aisle scheduled a vote on raising the

Nation's debt limit, knowing that it would fail. The vote occurred specifically after the stock market closed because they knew the harsh effect that this game could have on the market. This was simply an effort to distract the public away from the disastrous attempt to end Medicare as we know it.

Under their plan, from day one seniors will see an increase in the cost of prescription drugs and preventive health care. They no longer want to discuss the vote they took to end Medicare and force seniors to pay more for less.

We all agree that smart, responsible budget cuts are needed. That is why Democrats and Republicans from the House, the Senate, and the administration are working together on a plan. We should allow the negotiators to continue their work in good faith with open discussions on the future of our economy and how to decrease our deficit.

Mr. Speaker, now is not the time to play games with the American public. We must focus on creating jobs, jobs, and more jobs, and move our economy forward.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues across the aisle have recently claimed that current seniors won't be impacted by their plan to end Medicare as we know it. This simply is not true.

From day one their plan would force seniors to pay more for prescription drugs and health services because the doughnut hole will be reopened and free wellness visits under Medicare would be eliminated. As a consequence of the reopening of the doughnut hole in my State of New Jersey alone, an estimated 142,800 seniors will pay $80 million more for prescription drugs in 2012. Additionally, the majority's plan to rescind the ban on copays for wellness visits for seniors would force at least 30,000 New Jersey seniors to pay over 3 million more for annual wellness visits next year.

Once the plan takes effect in 2022, out-of-pocket expenses for seniors will soar. A typical 65-year-old in New Jersey would pay $7,060 more in 2022 for health care costs, more than double the cost under current law.

Mr. Speaker, the majority's plan for Medicare does not preserve the program as we know it. Rather, it takes money from seniors' pockets and places them at the mercy of rising insurance costs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 150th anniversary of St.

Mary's Star of the Sea Parish in Bayonne, New Jersey.

In 1860 Father Callano was entrusted with establishing a small Catholic Church in Bayonne to be called St. Mary's Star of the Sea.

Since its humble beginnings on Evergreen Street to its current location on 14th street in Bayonne, it has been a place of worship and home for residents of Bayonne and beyond since 1860.

Monsignor Lawrence Miller was named Pastor of St. Mary in 1989, and has since led with piousness and confidence as the church and the community have changed over the years.

Since the beginning of his term, Monsignor Miller has worked to engage the community in church life, particularly its youth.

Because of his efforts, there has been an increase in youth ministry members, and a Pee Wee Basketball Program was established through the church.

He currently is on the advisory board of All Saints Catholic Academy, works with 8th grade religion classes, is chaplain for the Knights of Columbus, and works at a local soup kitchen, which he helped found.

His leadership has been steadfast and no doubt is a reflection of the vibrant parish of St. Mary's and the community it has supported for 150 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of Lyman Graham, a devoted member of the United States military, who recently passed away in Neptune, New Jersey at the age of 92. Lyman was a native of Franklin, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Graham School, Franklin High School, and Franklin Business School. In 1941, Lyman was drafted into the U.S. Army and received his officers training at Fort Monmouth, after which he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. During this time, Lyman met his wife, Betty Freeman of Bradley Beach, and they were married in Taullahoma, Tennessee on May 8, 1943.

Lyman has a proud record of military service. As a member of the Army Signal Corps, Lyman played a key role during World War II. Soon after 1943, his unit was deployed to Great Britain, where they prepared for the invasion of Normandy and followed the battles fought throughout France, Belgium, and Germany, providing supplies and provisions for the Allied troops. Lyman received a number of medals for his service, including the European War Theatre medal.

Following V-E Day, Lyman remained in Europe for several months and returned to New Jersey and his wife in the fall of 1945. He was promoted to the rank of captain and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1946. Lyman and Betty briefly lived in Oil City, Pennsylvania. They returned to Bradley Beach in 1946, where they resided at their Hammond Avenue home.

Not only did Lyman faithfully serve his county, he maintained an active role in his community throughout his life. He was a member of the Bradley Beach Post 337 of the American Legion for many years, serving as Finance Officer and participating in the group's activities. Lyman was Grand Marshall of the 2004 Bradley Beach Memorial Day Parade. In 1954, he was appointed Postmaster of the Bradley Beach Post Office, and he remained in that position until his retirement in 1979, following 25 years of service.

Following his retirement, Lyman and Betty joined the local chapter of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, where he served as treasurer for 20 years. Lyman was also a longtime active member of the First United Methodist Church of Bradley Beach, where he was a Lay Leader, and a member of the Staff Parish Committee, United Methodist Men, and the Adult Choir. Lyman and Betty chaperoned the youth fellowship groups on a number of trips and activities. A Boy Scout in his youth, Lyman remained active in that organization as Scoutmaster for a number of years.

Throughout his life, Lyman was an exceptionally devoted husband and father and I know that Lyman will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Lyman's story will live on to serve as an inspiration for generations to come, and I thank him for his dedication to this great country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my outrage over this weekend's religious violence in Egypt. Despite January's inspiring calls for freedom and democracy, religious minorities in Egypt, such as the Coptic Christians, are facing increasing attacks during Egypt's transition.

On Saturday, a religious clash broke out in Cairo involving an estimated 2,000 people. In the aftermath of this weekend's sectarian violence, six Muslims and six Christians were dead.

The Coptic Christians, like all Egyptians, are demanding freedom and respect. I am concerned that even with Egypt's transition, minority rights remain extremely limited, and I believe that the interim government is not doing enough to protect the rights and lives of its citizens.

Coptic Christians deserve to live and worship without being threatened, injured or killed. Violence in the name of religion is unacceptable, but when governments do not sufficiently address such behavior, the violence is far more troubling.

The United States must stand firmly with the people of Egypt, and the U.S. assistance to Egypt must be tied to a strong respect for human rights and freedom of religion.